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5_091.TXT
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and Ahaz, now under Hezekiah. This, according to
Bishop Usher, was A.M. 3278, and of the Julian
period 3988, and before the Christian era 726.
\*Ver. 29. \\Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina\\, &c.] The
land of the Philistines; the inhabitants of Palestine are
meant, who rejoiced at the death of Uzziah, who was
too powerful for them, and during the reign of Ahaz,
of whom they had the better; and, now he was dead,
they hoped things would still be more favourable to
them, since a young prince, Hezekiah, succeeded him;
but they would find, by sad experience, that they had
no occasion to rejoice in these changes: %whole Pales-
tine% is mentioned, because it was divided into five dis-
tricts or lordships, over which there were five lords,
\\#Jos 13:3 1Sa 6:4\\ and as they were all rejoicing
in their late successes in Ahaz's time, and in hopes of
still greater, so they would all suffer in the calamity
hereafter threatened: \*\\because the rod of him that smote
thee is broken\\: meaning not Ahaz, for be did not smite
the Philistines, but was smitten by them, for they in-
vaded his country, and took many of his cities; see
\\#2Ch 28:18\\ but rather Uzziah, who broke down
the walls of their cities, and built others,
\\#2Ch 26:6,7\\ wherefore they rejoiced at his death; and
their joy continued during the reigns of Jotham and
Ahaz, and was increased at the death of Ahaz, a new
and young king being placed on the throne. Some
understand this of the breaking of the Assyrian, the
rod of God's anger, \\#Isa 14:25\\ by whom the Philistines
had been smitten, and therefore rejoiced at his ruin;
and to this the Targum seems to incline, paraphrasing
it thus, \*" because the government is broken, whom ye
"served."\* Such that interpret in this way, by the
%serpent% after mentioned understand Tilgath-pilneser
king of Assyria, whose successors were more trouble-
some to the Philistines than he; and by the %cockatrice%
Sennacherib; and by the %fiery flying serpent% Nebuchad-
nezzar. Cocceius thinks that the sense of the prophecy
is, that the Philistines should not rejoice at the sceptre
being taken away from the Jews, and they behing car-
ried captive into Babylon, since it would not be to
their advantage; for after Nebuchadnezzar and his
sons, meant by the %serpent%, should come the Medes
and Persians, signified hy the %cockatrice%: and after them
the Macedonians or Greeks, designed by the %flying fiery
serpent%, under Alexander, who should %kill% their %root%,
take Tyre their metropolis, at the siege of which
was a famine; and then %slay% their %remnant%, the city
of Gaza, the last of their cities, whose inhabitants he
slew.; but the first sense of the prophecy, as it is most
common, so most easy and natural: \*\\for out of the
serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice\\: that is, from
the posterity, of Uzziah king of Judah, who greatly
annoyed the Philistines, for which reason he is com-
pared to a %serpent%, should arise Hezekiah compared
to a %cockatrice%, because he would be, and he was,
more hurtful and distressing to them; see \\#2Ki 18:8\\:
\*\\and his fruit [shall be] a fiery flying serpent\\;
not the fruit of the cockatrice, but of the serpent; and
intends the same as before, Hezekiah, likened to such
a creature. because of the fury and swiftness with
which he was to come, and did come, against the Phi-
listines, and the hurt he did to them: the %serpent% to
which he is compared is called %fiery%, or %burning%, be-
cause it inflames where it bites; of which see
\\#Nu 21:6\\ and %flying%, not because it has wings, though
some serpents are said to have them; but because, when
it leaps or darts upon a man, it is with such swiftness,
that it seems to fly; the serpent called %acontias%, or
%serpens jaculus%, is here alluded to. The Targum
applies the passage to the Messiah, thus, \*"for out of
"the children's children of Jesse shall come forth
"the Messiah, and his works shall be among you
"as a flying serpent."\*
\*Ver. 30. \\And the firstborn of the poor shall feed\\,
&c.] That is, the Jews, who were brought very low
in the times of Ahaz, reduced to the greatest straits
and difficulties; for so the word %firstborn% may signify
the chief, or those who were of all the poorest, and in
the greatest distress; these, in the times of Hezekiah,
shall enjoy abundance of good things, and under his
gentle government shall feed like a flock of sheep in
good pastures; this signifying, that though he should
be like a serpent, hurtful to his enemies, yet should
be kind and tender unto, and take great care of his
own subjects, and under whom they should have
great plenty and prosperity: \*\\and the needy shall lie
down in safety\\; like a flock of sheep, secure from
beasts of prey, under the care of a faithful and vigilant
shepherd; this shews that the Jews should not only
have plenty of good things, but should live in the
greatest security, without fear of any enemy, or dan-
ger from them: \*\\and I will kill thy root with famine\\;
this is said to Palestine, compared to a tree, whose
root is dried up for want of moisture, and so dies;
and the meaning is, that a sore famine should rage in
their country, and utterly destroy them: \*\\and he shall
slay thy remnant\\: that is, Hezekiah should slay with
the sword those that were left of the famine.
\*Ver. 31. \\Howl, O gate\\, &c.] Or gates of the cities
of Palestine; the magistrates that sat there to execute
judgment, or the people that passed through there;
or because now obliged to open to their enemies;
wherefore, instead of rejoicing, they are called to
howling: \*\\cry, O city\\; or cities, the several cities of
the land, as well as their chief, because of the destruction
coming upon them. The Targum is, \*"howl over thy
"gates, and cry over thy cities;"\* or concerning them:
\*\\thou, whole Palestina, [art] dissolved\\; or %melted%; through
fear of enemies coming upon them; or it may design
the entire overthrow and dissolution of their state;
\*\\for there shall come from the north a smoke\\; a nume-
rous army, raising a dust like smoke as they move along,
and coming with great %swiftness%, and very annoying.
Some understand this of the Chaldean army under Ne-
buchadnezzar coming from Babylon, which lay north
of Judea; so Aben Ezra; to which agrees \\#Jer 47:1,2\\
but most interpret it of Hezekiah's army, which
came from Judea: which, Kimchi says, lay north to
the land of the Philistines. Cocceius is of opinion
that the Roman army is here meant, which came
from the north against Judea, called whole Palestine;
which country came into the hands of the Jews after
the taking of Tyre and Gaza by the Greeks, and there-
fore the sanhedrim, which sat in the gate, and the
city of Jerusalem, are called upon to howl and cry.
But the first of these senses seems best, since the utter
destruction of Palestine was by the Chaldean army